The biggest news to come out of Computex, AMD’s second generation of its Ryzen Threadripper platform, is almost here. Today’s announcement is all amount images, speeds and feeds, specifications, and an ‘unboxing’ announcement, leading to pre-orders a week before retail. As much as it pains me that there is an unboxing embargo and pre-orders before we even know how the new chips will perform, here we are. Today we get to go through the on-box specifications, discuss the design, and show what AMD included in our press kit.

2990WX Pre-Orders Open Today, Retail August 13^th

The formal launch of the new parts is one week from today, and in the biggest markets the first processor of the launch should be available for pre-order. AMD is set to launch four versions of its second generation Ryzen Threadripper over the course of Q3, starting with its flagship 32-core.

AMD SKUs
	Cores/ Threads	Base/ Turbo	L3	DRAM 1DPC	PCIe	TDP	SRP
TR 2990WX	32/64	3.0/4.2	64 MB	4x2933	60	250 W	$1799
TR 2970WX	24/48	3.0/4.2	64 MB	4x2933	60	250 W	$1299
TR 2950X	16/32	3.5/4.4	32 MB	4x2933	60	180 W	$899
TR 2920X	12/24	3.5/4.3	32 MB	4x2933	60	180 W	$649
Ryzen 7 2700X	8/16	3.7/4.3	16 MB	2x2933	16	105 W	$329

Sitting at the top of the stack is the 32-core 2990WX, which will retail at $1800, competing directly against Intel’s existing 18-core part, the Core i9-7980XE. AMD is using "WX" in the name here to offer some branding consistency with their high-end workstation graphics models, the Radeon Pro WX series.

Beating at its heart are four 12nm "Zen+" Zeppelin dies, each with eight cores, connected by AMD’s Infinity Fabric, and using simultaneous multi-threading for a total of 64 threads. As with previous generations, there are 60 PCIe 3.0 lanes for add-in cards and storage, and another four lanes for the chipset. There is a slight change in the memory speed, with the new parts supporting DDR4-2933.

Joining the WX line is the Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX, set at $1299 MSRP. This 24-core part uses three cores per CCX (so six cores per die, four dies per package), and also has simultaneous multi-threading for a total of 48 threads. Speeds are equal to the TR 2990WX, with a 3.0 GHz base clock and a 4.2 GHz single core turbo. Per-core turbo speeds will be decided by Precision Boost 2 and XFR2, as explained below. The 2970WX is set for an October launch.

Both of the WX models are hitting the new TDP of 250W, although the way AMD measures TDP is heavily dependent on the cooler used. In this case, their new high-end ‘Wraith Ripper’ cooler is the benchmark, which is developed by Cooler Master. This new cooler is very large, but offers full heatspreader coverage – which as we've discovered is critical for Threadripper cooling – and provides good clearance for memory. It will be sold separately in the channel, at around $100 MSRP.

Also on the table are the 2950X ($899) and the 2920X ($649), which use the existing X branding. This is because these processors are direct replacements for the 1950X and 1920X, using only two active dies in each chip, but this time around are using Zen+, the second generation Ryzen features such as faster caches and better frequency characteristics. The 16-core TR 2950X will have a base frequency of 3.5 GHz, a turbo of 4.4 GHz, and is due to launch on August 31^st. The 12-core TR 2920X by comparison also has a 3.5 GHz base frequency, but a slightly lower turbo at 4.3 GHz, and is due out in October. Both of these parts are set at 180W TDP, like the first generation chips.

AMD Ryzen Product Stacks & Launch Prices
Ryzen 1000 (2017)		Ryzen 2000 (2018)
-		TR 2990WX (32C)	$1799
-		TR 2970WX (24C)	$1299
TR 1950X (16C)	$999	TR 2950X (16C)	$899
TR 1920X (12C)	$749	TR 2920X (12C)	$649
TR 1900X (8C)	$599	-
Ryzen 7 1800X (8C)	$499	Ryzen 7 2700X (8C)	$329
Ryzen 7 1700X (8C)	$399

At this point AMD has not stated if it will expand the family even further, so we don't know if the 1900X will stay at the bottom of the stack, be replaced with a 2000 series model, or if it dies off completely.

At this point, AMD’s main competition is still with Intel’s Skylake-X parts. The 32-core 2990 WX will align in price with the 18-core Core i9-7980XE.

Threadripper 2 vs Skylake-X The Battle (Sorted by Price)
		Cores/ Threads	Base/ Turbo	L3	DRAM 1DPC	PCIe	TDP	SRP
Intel	i9-7980XE	18/36	2.6/4.4	24.75	4x2666	44	140W	$1999
AMD	TR 2990WX	32/64	3.0/4.2	64 MB	4x2933	60	250W	$1799
Intel	i9-7960X	16/32	2.8/4.4	22.00	4x2666	44	140W	$1699
Intel	i9-7940X	14/28	3.1/4.4	19.25	4x2666	44	140W	$1399
AMD	TR 2970WX	24/48	3.0/4.2	64 MB	4x2933	60	250W	$1299
Intel	i9-7920X	12/24	2.9/4.4	16.50	4x2666	44	140W	$1199
Intel	i9-7900X	10/20	3.3/4.3	13.75	4x2666	44	140W	$980
AMD	TR 2950X	16/32	3.5/4.4	32 MB	4x2933	60	180W	$899
AMD	TR 2920X	12/24	3.5/4.3	32 MB	4x2933	60	180W	$649
Intel	i7-7820X	8/16	3.6/4.3	11 MB	4x2666	28	140W	$593
AMD	TR 1900X	8/16	3.8/4.0	16 MB	4x2666	60	180W	$549
AMD	R7 2700X	8/16	3.7/4.3	16 MB	2x2933	16	105W	$329

Across the metrics, AMD has more cores, is competitive on frequency, has more memory channels, more PCIe lanes, and supports higher memory clockspeeds. Intel has lower power, and above 16 cores a slight turbo clockspeed advantage. Meanwhile we already know from Ryzen 2000-series testing that cache speeds are a back-and-forth competition, and Intel has a slight IPC advantage. Game on.

What Is New: Zen+ Updates

For all the new Ryzen Threadripper 2000 series, the Zen cores inside are in ‘Zen+’ mode, which affords three or four main new features, identical to the Ryzen 2000-series.

First up are the faster caches – as we saw in our Ryzen 7 2700X review, the L1 and L2 caches are slightly faster, the L3 cache gets a boost too, and the main memory support goes up from DDR4-2666 to DDR4-2933. All this accounts for a 3% IPC increase, and is the result of better understanding the design and tweaking the internal dials to extract best performance.

Second, the Zen+ cores also take advantage of GlobalFoundries' 12nm process, an enhanced version of their 14nm process used for Threadripper-1000. While not an optical shrink, it does allow AMD to extract higher frequencies as well as reduce voltage at the same time. Along with the new turbo methodology, combining this with the 3% IPC gain from the caches resulted in an overall 10% performance gain in the Ryzen 2000-series processors.

Third is Precision Boost 2, which manages how the CPU implements its turbo depending on workload. Rather than referring to a fixed turbo table, relating how many cores are active to a given frequency, PB2 now means that the internal sensors guide how much power/temperature is still available and prompts the CPU to increase frequency until it hits that barrier. Due to the 25 MHz granularity of the multiplier, this allows the processor to boost as much as possible for performance. We saw this on the Ryzen 2000-series processors and it worked really well, although it is worth noting that it does increase power consumption for variable threaded workloads.

Fourth is XFR2, or ‘eXtended Frequency Range’. This is essentially the ‘temperature’ bit of Precision Boost 2, but uses the benefits of a cooler ambient temperature and better cooling to push the processor frequency. In for the mainstream Ryzen 2000-series processors, this afforded up to a 10-15% performance increase. For today’s announcement, as this is not the embargo for performance numbers, we can’t give you hard data. However AMD included both the Wraith Ripper (a 250W-rated air cooler) and the Enermax Liqtech 240 (a 500W-rated liquid cooler) in our press kits for exactly this reason. 

(A note here: we’re currently going through a heat wave in Europe, one of the biggest ever, and home air conditioning does not really exist in the UK.  As a result, AMD has hit a spot of potential bad luck, as it means a lot of reviewers will be hampered by the super-high ambient (32C+) ‘home office’ temperatures. I have lucked out – Intel invited me to an event in San Francisco this week, so despite having to cart 30kg of kit 5500 miles away, I am currently testing in a thermally controlled 20C hotel room while on the road. All this being said, it would be interesting if European reviewers that are struggling in the heat this week were to re-test in a few months, when ambient temperatures are back to being reasonably cool. As for Americans, we all know you lot love your AC, especially in AMD's home state of Texas)

Sweet Memories

One of the big questions when AMD initially announced the second generation of Threadripper was around the memory configuration. In the first generation, the two active dies on the chip each used two memory channels giving a total of four. For the second generation, with four active dies, we now have a non-uniform memory design: two dies have access to two memory channels each, while the other two dies have zero memory channels directly connected, meaning that memory accesses require a hop.

To clarify, as people were speculating, the design is not one memory channel per die. While not impossible, doing it that way would require adjustment of the pin-out arrangement and Threadripper firmware. This is only designed to be a mid-generation microarchitecture refresh, not a full update. One of the benefits is that these processors should go straight in to all motherboards currently on the market without a BIOS flash, although once installed, an updated BIOS is recommended for enhanced memory and feature support.

When discussing the matter with AMD, they noted that this memory configuration means that the scheduler in the operating system will aim to fill in the cores directly attached to a memory controller first. However, it will not be a simple case of filling up 16 cores across the two directly connected dies first: after the first few threads are allocated, new threads will enter a round-robin mode, where the ‘value’ of a thread landing on a core changes based on how the other cores are loaded. If it makes sense for power and temperature reasons, threads will spawn on the silicon not directly attached to memory, for example. So it is something to note, as Threadripper 2 core scheduling isn't going to be as simple as it may initially appear.

While users were speculating on a fairer memory distribution, almost no-one touched upon the PCIe situation. As with the memory, the PCIe lanes will also only come from two of the silicon dies, rather than split between all four. Most if not all motherboards should support multiple graphics cards and other add-in devices as a result.

Enough Jibber-Jabber, Show Me the Money Chips

All-in-all, the new chips look a lot like the old ones:

AMD sampled us the 2990WX and the 2950X for our launch day review. Both of these CPUs are coming out in August, first with the 2990WX on the 13^th, and then with the 2950X on the 31^st.

On the rear, there are slightly different component arrangements to account for the different dies that are active:

2990WX (left) and 2950X (right)

The packaging is certainly different, with AMD taking into account the public's commentary about the packaging from the first generation. My only feedback to AMD on this is to make the new CPU packaging stackable – as a reviewer having these chips around un-stacked is an organizational nightmare.

Also in the box is a Torx screwdriver for the socket and an Asetek water cooler bracket, as with the first generation.

If we add some EPYCness to the mix, there’s a pretty pattern. Here are 172 cores of Zen:

AMD also bundled two motherboards with the press kits: a second revision of the ASUS X399 Zenith Extreme, with a new VRM cooling kit, and the MSI X399 MEG Creation, the 19-phase monster seen at Computex.

At first, Summer wasn’t interested.

Then she had a sniff.

Now they are good friends. I think. (ed: Ian, if you kill that processor with static electricity, I will end you)

A side note about stacking. The processors do kind of stack on their own.

But this isn’t an advised strategy.

X399 Motherboards: The MSI X399 Creation

For the motherboard situation, AMD clarified that all motherboards on the market today will be able to run the new 250W processors. The differences will be in how well each motherboard will be able to overclock, with AMD citing that the newer models and revisions should perform better, given that they were built with a higher power rating already in mind. Boards like the X399 Creation should also help in pushing the first generation Ryzen Threadripper.

Box. Has board inside.

As noted back at Computex, the MSI X399 Creation is a very visually busy motherboard. Lots of angles, and lots of shades of grey. I know it is customary in some Asian languages and magazines to be very dense, and this is kind of what that looks like. Most of the time I prefer a simpler, elegant design. This design does not scream elegance.

The key headline for this motherboard is the power delivery. MSI has put 16 phases on the processor, and another three for "uncore" portion of the chip, or as AMD calls it, the SoC. In order to fit them in, the DRAM slots are slightly further down than average, but it also allows MSI to put in a larger heatsink, which also connects to the heatsink near the rear panel of the board.

In case you forget the name: Creation.

Storage on the motherboard comes in two forms: eight SATA ports, and seven M.2 drives. That is not a typo: MSI has enabled this motherboard with seven M.2 slots. Three come from on the board, and are found under the chipset heatsink. Here are two of them:

The other four comes from an add-in PCIe card. We also saw this at Computex, and it uses a dual-slot design. It looks like a GPU:

But inside are four M.2 slots, with thermal pad on the heatsink to assist with cooling.

MSI states that this was built specifically with Threadripper in mind, so I’m going to annoy our SSD reviewer, Billy Tallis, to hand over a few more drives.

Also on the board is an extensive rear panel, with USB 3.1 ports, USB 3.0 ports, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi:

Where are the Benchmarks?

As stated, today AMD is only lifting the lid on what the stuff looks like, as well as speeds and details. This weekend however, AMD France accidentally released some information on the Cinebench R15 speed of the 32-core, giving it a score of 5099 :

My CPU-focused review, using our newest benchmark suite, will be posted on August 13^th. I am still iterating our gaming test suite for CPUs with new games and drivers, so that review will be a little later. I am also in the middle of a 30,000 mile set of travels (FMS, Hot Chips, IFA, vacation), along with some Cannon Lake tests to run, and whatever else might launch soon, so please be a little patient. August has never been so busy, honestly.

Where to Pre-Order

If you really want to go ahead and order before looking at the reviews, then we will add some links in here as we get them. Note that retailers will only be taking pre-orders for the 2990WX today, while the 2950X launches at the end of this month, and then the final two chips in October.

AMD Threadripper 2 Pre-Orders
	Amazon	Newegg
TR 2990WX	$1799	$1799
TR 2970WX	$1299	$1299
TR 2950X	$849	$849
TR 2920X	$649	$649